Lil Kim To Headline Apollo Theater For Harlem Festival Culture Concert
Lil’ Kim is set to hit the Apollo Theater stage for a concert kicking off the Harlem Festival of Culture. Billboard reports that the Brooklynite is set to headline the Jump Off on Thursday (Jan. 26), a primer for the HFC arriving in July 2023.
Kim spoke about the Jan. performance and excitedly hinted at possible guests joining her at the legendary music hall for the glorious affair.
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“It’s going to be a night to remember to help kick off the Harlem Festival of Culture’s road to the festival with some of my special friends,” Lil’ Kim said in a statement. “Apollo was like my backyard; I played there so much and every time it was always love. The crowd is always amazing!”
Harlem Festival of Culture’s co-founder and technical & talent producer Yvonne McNair remarked about the significance of the Jump Off and the upcoming summer festival, adding that its a celebration of the cultural “contributions of the Black Diaspora in music, art, fashion, and entertainment.”
“As we prepared to start on this road to the launch of the festival, we realized that this was also a milestone year for hip-hop and knew that our first major event out of the gate had to be special and center around hip-hop and R&B,” they added. “One of the tenants of HFC’s mission is to celebrate and preserve the cultural contributions of the Black Diaspora in music, media, art, fashion, and entertainment.
“Hip-hop culture has touched every single part of society, and there is no artist that better represents its far-reaching impact than Lil’ Kim. We’re so thrilled that Kim will help us curate the evening to bring a full, one-of-a-kind music experience to audiences in the city where it all began. We’re also excited to launch this event and our festival journey with our partners.”
Lil’ Kim, née Kimberly Denise Jones, 48, is scheduled to perform a laundry list of hits, including “No Time,” “Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix),” and “Crush on You.”
Jones’ Hip-Hop friends joining the actress onstage for the Jump Off concert are set to be revealed closer to the show’s date.
The current incarnation of HFC was inspired by the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival highlighted in Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s Oscar-winning Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) documentary.
The January performance will simultaneously commemorate the venue’s 89th anniversary, with the Infiniti-sponsored event also serving as the launch of the HFC’s partnership with the Apollo leading up to the July celebration.
